Chubu Electric to withdraw Hamaoka nuclear plant restart applications

Chubu Electric Power Co. has announced that it will withdraw its applications for regulatory screening to restart reactors at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan. The company also announced the resignations of President Kingo Hayashi and Chairman Satoru Katsuno, who will be held responsible for the manipulation of seismic data during the screening process for the restart of reactors No. 3 and No. 4.

The decision to withdraw the screening applications complicates the Japanese government's drive to restore full nuclear power generation. The scandal-tainted utility faces harsh criticism from residents in Omaezaki, where the Hamaoka plant is located, with some expressing doubts about the plant's ability to be safely restarted even with management changes.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.